While You Were Away
by bluelily3
Summary: Bulma is already three months pregnant with Vegeta's son, but he has left her behind. Hurt and confused, she turns to an old friend for comfort. That old friend is Yamcha...
1. Something Familiar

As soon as her eyes blinked open, she felt sick again. She sat up and a wave of dizziness washed over her. When she looked around the room, it didn't look right. Where was her master bathroom? Why was this bed a queen instead of a king? She heard the sounds of someone sleeping deeply beside her. Just when she felt the familiar taste of his name in her mouth, she flinched. It was not Vegeta laying naked across from her. It was Yamcha.

Last night came rushing back to her. It was filled with confusion and desire, but a different sort of desire than she was used to. It hadn't been a burning need like she had felt with Vegeta, but a sad, lonely feeling. All she had really wanted when she came to Yamcha's guest room was the familiar love of an old friend. But their embrace had become tighter, their hands searching, their lips touching. Everything had been hesitant at first, but then it had picked up momentum on its own accord. Bulma hadn't even really been thinking about what she was doing, it just happened.

When she had first been with Vegeta, it seemed like an accident afterwards, but during it she had known that she really wanted him, and her body had reveled in the feelings of submission she was sensing from him. He had stopped fighting it, and neither of them had dominated, they had acted on it together. There had been no bedroom involved that time, just a brief encounter in some rare-visited corridor. She knew no one would find them, because even when he was right in the center of their sensations, Vegeta was still tuned into everything else around him. That was what she had liked about him. His awareness. How calm and in control he was. He hadn't wanted to take over her, because he could feel the strength of her spirit. Even though she was fairly certain he had never been with another woman, he had acted like he knew what he was doing. Every touch with his hands or lips had been measured with a certain amount of restraint. Just enough to keep her there. She knew how strong he was, and she could feel that too, but it had been…She wasn't sure how he did it. There had been something about the way it felt, like they had a connection, but were not exactly sure what to do about it.

Whatever it was, Vegeta didn't stop there. She thought that after the first time he would be embarrassed or disgusted with himself, but he hadn't. The two of them had managed to get together four times after that, and the last time had been the most personal.

She couldn't talk to anybody. No one would understand; they didn't know him in the way that she knew him now. Any of her friends would just scoff and say "Vegeta? Yeah right…" But it was all too special and secretive to approach anyone with anyway. She was certain that Vegeta wasn't mentioning it. He was the kind of person that kept many things to himself. But she had started to unlock a few of those things on that final night. It was like he…

She suddenly saw Yamcha shift in his sleep. Maybe she should try to leave before he got up. If she wasn't gone, he might try to start something with her all over again. Or worse, he might ask her to marry him! It wasn't that she didn't love Yamcha, it was just…he didn't feel right. She had slept with him before, in fact he had been her first when she turned eighteen. And they had been in love…once. But she was getting a sneaking suspicion that he still loved her and might want her back. Even though Vegeta was somewhere else in the galaxy, she just couldn't force herself to love Yamcha that way again. Not after the fierce connection she had made with the Prince of Saiyans. Yamcha didn't have a clue about it, either. Sure, he knew that Bulma had started having feelings for Vegeta, but he didn't know that they had led her anywhere. He also didn't know that Vegeta would smile (however sly and cocky it was) at her when she pretended not to notice. Or how they didn't need anything physical to be able to sense things about one another. All they had to do was stand in the same room and "feel each other out". She didn't have that with Yamcha. She didn't understand him like she understood Vegeta.

Vegeta had been at Capsule Corp. for two whole years before Yamcha got wished back to life. Slowly and painstakingly, she had built a trust with him. He had still thought she was a household servant because she was the only one who would give him things he wanted and ask what he needed. She really hadn't minded for awhile, as long as he had been acknowledging her. It was strange for her to act that way though. All her life she had other people serving her, why did she care what he wanted or needed? It was only after he had come back from searching for Goku that he realized who she was. When she had told him that she had known Goku since he was a kid, she saw a spark of recognition in his eyes. He knew then that she was that annoying girl on Namek who's life he had considered taking. All he cared about back then was getting the Dragonball.

Suddenly Bulma wondered something to herself. If he had killed her, would she still be in the Otherworld now? Would they have wished her back? A horrible feeling of despair welled up within her. She wasn't sure if they would have. Goku loved her, but she never really saw much of him anymore. Krillin, Roshi, Oolong and Puar… Did any of them really care about her that much?

The sickness inside of her intensified, and she stood up, gulping in deep breaths. Would Yamcha himself even wish her back? She stumbled to the door in her underclothes. Stupid morning sickness. That was something else Yamcha didn't know about. Her despair retreated a little, only to be replaced with guilt. What had she done? What would Yamcha say when she told him… And Vegeta? He was bound to come back eventually. Would he even care that she had slept with Yamcha while she was carrying his child? A large part of her knew that he would, and it wouldn't be a pretty scene. She was carrying royalty, a child of a Saiyan prince. To sleep with someone else, it just seemed wrong. But she had done it because she wasn't sure if he really cared about her. He did leave, after all. But the things that had happened the night before he left… There was just no way he couldn't care! He had acted different that time. He had been so slow and thorough, and he had whispered her name and kissed her deeper than ever. Deep feelings were reflected in his eyes, and she could sense that he had wanted to say something important to her, but he couldn't quite figure out how. When he left he had told her that he needed to "sort some things out."

Two weeks later she had found out that she was going to have his baby. She was excited and scared at the same time. Something inside of her told her that Vegeta knew. She wasn't sure how, but she could sense that somewhere up in space, he knew that she was all the way over on Earth, pregnant with his child. She also felt strongly that it was a boy. Almost like he knew what he was doing, and that he wanted her to make a son.

When she thought about that, the need to be sick returned, and she opened the door. Frantically she searched for a bathroom. 'Dang it, where in the house am I?' she thought. 'Oh, there's one.'

She was just flushing the toilet when she heard Yamcha's voice.

"Bulma? Are-are you okay? What happened?"

'He must have seen me rush out of there in my underwear,' she thought. 'Oh great. I'm going to have to tell him sooner or later. Or I'll start to show and he'll think it's his baby.' For a fleeting moment she wondered what it would've been like if it had been Yamcha's child. He certainly would have made a better dad. Maybe she could wait awhile and… but no, something still told her that Vegeta knew. She wouldn't want to face him if she had tried to pass his son off as Yamcha's. And their son would be a Saiyan anyway. There it was again…a son. Somehow she knew. She was three months along now, and only recently had she sensed that it was a boy. For two months it had been a girl; all babies were until they got the gene that defined their gender in the third month. To think that she had been carrying around Vegeta's daughter for two months. Now it was a boy, she was almost positive. She did have the ability to sense power levels a little. She concentrated, ignoring Yamcha's worried voice. Yes, there it was. That was him, her son. He felt stronger than her! At three months? Wow, Vegeta would be pleased.

"Um, I'll be out in a second, Yamcha."

"Okay. Are you sick? You were perfectly fine last night. It doesn't make any sense…"

Bulma let him ponder that for awhile. She would have plenty of time to get her thoughts in order; Yamcha was a slow thinker. Couldn't it simply occur to him that she had the flu, and it had been dormant in her body until this morning? He was no genius, that was for sure. But he was kind. Too kind. Bulma herself could be really selfish at times and even mean. It would take all of the spirit out of someone like Yamcha. She really was doing him a favor, if she thought about it. He had to realize that they just weren't compatible. She could tear him apart emotionally. She swallowed hard, and stood up.

"Yamcha, I need to tell you something." She heard him chuckle on the other side of the door.

"Are you going to tell me that you want me back? Because I was thinking and… maybe we should be together. I mean, we have always-"

"Yamcha." She opened the door forcefully.

She swallowed again. He was right there next to her, smiling. He didn't have a single inkling. Couldn't he remember how much she was looking at Vegeta? Didn't he know by now that she always acted on her wishes? She got what she wanted; she made it happen. That was who she was. 'This would be so much easier if he at least had the idea that… Well, I did sleep with him last night.' She shuddered.

"Yamcha, what happened last night shouldn't have happened, okay? I was upset and lonely. Yamcha, I love Vegeta and I'm-"

"You WHAT? You LOVE him? What in the world? Bulma, you don't even know the guy. He's bad news! How could you say that you-"

"Yamcha! I do know him, okay? Give me your hand."

"What? My hand…"

"Just DO it!" She lay his hand a little bit below her stomach, on her womb. He blushed, not knowing what was going to happen next.

"Now focus. Focus really hard. Can you feel that?" She stared at Yamcha as he closed his eyes and focused. Then his eyes flew open.

"That energy! That's from a Saiyan! And it's…oh, my gosh…Uh…"

"Yes, Yamcha. I'm pregnant with Vegeta's son. We made this together, he and I. You don't know how it feels. He's so different with me, he's so-"

"Stop! Bulma, I can't…I need to be alone for awhile, okay?" He took a deep breath. "This is…whoa…Hey, let me just ask you one thing." She cringed.

"What is it?"

"Why?"

Bulma narrowed her eyes. "Why Vegeta? Well, I just-"

"No! Why ME?! Why did you sleep with me after you and… Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick. He could kill me. He's gonna KILL me Bulma! I'm as good as dead. No, wait. Don't tell me he actually cares about you?! Oh, I'm so dead…"

"Yamcha, calm down. Nobody is going to kill anybody, okay? I'll make sure that-"

"You'll make sure what? That he doesn't kill me? What, are you going to walk up to him and say 'Oh, Vegeta dear, don't kill him, we were just fooling around. Just do this for me honey'?"

"For one thing, I don't call him 'dear' and 'honey'. And, it will be okay. You're going to have to trust me. I'll talk to him. He does listen to me."

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"No, I mean it. I have a certain way of handling him."

"What, you don't think he will be mad at you too?"

"He will, but I'm not afraid of him, Yamcha. We have something together, that you couldn't know about."

"No, I couldn't. I couldn't know about ANYTHING because you didn't TELL me!"

"Well, we were split up when I started to get together with him."

"That's good to know. Ya got anything else important that you wanna tell me? Because I'm leaving. There is no way I'm sticking around here."

"No, there is nothing else you need to know, Yamcha. I'm really sorry. I was just upset because he left."

'Wait a minute, he left you and you still love him?"

"He went into space to train. That's what he does. He wasn't getting what he needed here."

Yamcha's eyes narrowed.

"Oh, he was getting-"

"Don't you DARE finish that sentence, Yamcha." He stepped back from her. "Fine. But I am leaving."

"I know." Her eyes went to the ground. "Last night was stupid…"

"It wasn't for me… I thought…" She looked back at him, and his eyes were filling with tears. Her eyes grew damp too.

"I'm so sorry, I should have told you."

"Bulma, how do you know he is even coming back?"

She sighed. "I think he knows I am carrying his son. He will come back, eventually. And I will be ready for him."

"Okay, but don't think I'll take you back if he doesn't ever want to look at your face again…" He trailed off then looked at her closely. "He better not hurt you though."

"He won't. And if he does leave again, I guess I'll find some way to deal with it. I'll still have his son, anyway. I'll be alright, Yamcha. Again, I'm sorry. I was just being selfish, like always. You deserve better than me."

"I don't think you are a horrible person, Bulma. I never did."

"Would you…would you wish me back with the Dragonballs if I died?"

"You know I would." He smiled a little.

"Even after…"

"Even after all that's happened. I'll always be your friend. But I can't ever be more than that again. Not after you've been with Vegeta."

"I know. You don't want to get killed again, right?" She laughed.

"Does he really care enough about you to kill me?"

"Well, he is a little possessive. But I can handle it."

"I hope you know what you doing." He made a move to hug her, but then thought better of it. He pointed at her belly.

"Take care of yourself, okay? And just because I'm leaving, doesn't mean I won't be a phone call away. I can't make myself hate you, no matter what happens."

Bulma smiled. "You're a good person, Yamcha. I hope you find a woman who is just as good as you someday."

"I thought I did."

"You were wrong. I'm not that great. Look what I did to you."

"Well anyway, see ya." He turned around and went back into the bedroom. Bulma sighed. At least that part was over. Though she was afraid that what she had ahead of her would be much more difficult.


	2. His Return

The months passed, and when Bulma was eight months pregnant, she sensed him. It was very faint, but she was sure it was Vegeta. Her stomach tensed up. She had been wondering what she would do and say when he came back, and now it was happening. She had missed him being around. Capsule Corp. felt strange without the familiar sounds of him training. _Or just blowing up things, _she thought to herself with a smile.

Two hours later, she saw the capsule approaching. It flew in fast and landed with an enormous crash only a few yards from the house. The ground shuddered and the air filled up with smoke and dust. Bulma held onto the door frame to keep her balance. He never had tried to learn to land that thing right. It only took one button to initiate the landing sequence. Maybe he liked plummeting to the ground at a high speed velocity. Sort of a dramatic entry thing. The door slid open on top of the capsule, and she saw him pull himself out. She almost laughed out loud. _He must be doing it on purpose. Look at the reaction he gets from my mother and father. They think he's insane, and he loves it. He wants them to think that. _She noticed that her mother was getting a tray of drinks ready. _What does she think this is, a bar? I have to be alone with him, and they are just going to mess it up. _She cleared her throat.

"Uh, Mom? Dad? Could you come here for a second?" She saw Vegeta jump down from the capsule, but he wasn't coming near any of them. Just as she expected. He was heading towards a side door in the house.

"What is it dear? I was going to welcome-"

"Mom, please, not now. I need to talk to-"

"But Bulma, sweetheart, he's a guest here. Isn't he? And didn't he save you on Namek?" Bulma blinked. _What on Earth is she talking about? _

"What? Listen Mom, just…" Before she could figure out what to say, her dad was at her side.

"It's alright dear, let's just give him some time. I don't think he really likes us all that much, anyway." Bulma turned away from her parents, hearing her mother's protest as they went.

"What do mean he doesn't like us? We're always…"

She shook her head. Her mother was so clueless.

She made her way over to the side door that Vegeta had went through. She paused, taking a deep breath. It had been awhile since she had seen him last, and she really had no idea what to expect. He was a hard person to figure out, and very unpredictable. She walked through the hallway and paused when she heard the shower running. _Maybe I'll just wait until he's done._ But right after the thought entered her mind, she knew that she wouldn't. She had to see him. She missed the sight of his body. She wanted to see his black hair weighed down with the water and falling down his back. There were also the scars. She had a strange fascination with all of those scars. Someday she was going to ask him about them. She was going to find out where he got each and every one. He had already told her the stories behind a few of them. She remembered the proud look on his face when he had. He enjoyed telling someone about his battles and bits and pieces of his past. She was the only one who listened to every word he said. No matter how dark and twisted they were. She was drawn to him. He was a fire that consumed her. She almost felt like she needed it. She also knew that he needed her too, and that was why she was doing this. If she ever found out that he didn't have a chance to change at all, then she would give up. But she wouldn't give up on him until she knew that he didn't have a chance. Not unless he started wantonly taking the lives of others again. _He hasn't taken a single life since he landed on this planet for the second time. That was something he said, and he didn't sound proud when he said it. There was almost a sense of disappointment there. I have to get him beyond that point. I have to make him see that he doesn't need to destroy to survive. He can learn. I know he can. _She knew it in her heart. She knew that things would be different someday. She had to keep that hope alive.

She stopped at the door and noticed that it was cracked open. He knew. He always seemed to know. There was no way she would ever be able to be sneaky or keep him in the dark about anything. He was like her in that way; he was a genius. But she wasn't planning to be sneaky. She knew by now that the best way to approach Vegeta was head-on. He didn't tolerate hesitation or beating around the bush. He liked to be addressed openly and honesty. She stood up straight and walked into the shower room with confidence.

His back was turned to her, and she could see him through the glass. The last of the shampoo was washing down his back. He turned his head slightly and she only saw a quick flash of his eyes before he went back to washing. He scrubbed himself with something coarse, working at the layers of dried blood that had caked onto his skin. She saw his face again, and his eyes narrowed just a fraction. She knew that this was his version of a wince. A normal man would be hissing through his teeth right about now. Especially when she saw how he was scrubbing so vigorously at a area on his leg that was an obvious wound. He was silent, and almost acted like she wasn't there, but she knew he was paying attention. She reached into the air with her mind, and relaxed. His energy level was submissively low, which meant that he was in a relatively good mood. He must have found what he wanted up in space. She remembered him saying something about achieving Super Saiyan, like Goku. Had he done it? _I'll ask him, it's always good to start the conversation off about him, that way he's sure to be interested. He seems to think of himself as his own personal hobby anyway. Some people work with canvas or wood, or machinery like me. He works with his own body. It's all he has. _She hesitated. _What if he hasn't become a Super Saiyan? Then it will be a sore subject, and he'll get angry. If he gets angry, I won't have a chance for awhile to speak with him about our son. _She stopped her train of thought when he turned towards her and glared at her through the glass.

"Well? Did you come in here to watch me wash myself, or do you actually have something to say? I'm not an exhibit in some zoo." He had sensed her hesitation, and he was getting impatient. She was actually a little bit put off that he hadn't mentioned anything about the size of her belly. He could sense the child in there just as well as she could. She focused on the matter at hand, and just chuckled to herself.

"I didn't really mean to stare. My mind just wandered."

"Oh, really? Because," he smirked, "It looked very much like staring to me. Don't tell me you want to get in here and help me."

"Well, there is a lot of blood and-"

"I can handle myself. Although I may need some sort of thread. There's a few deep ones that aren't going to heal right otherwise."

"You've sewn yourself up before?" As soon as she said that, she knew it was a stupid question, and she stopped him before his scoff could be turned into words.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. That was a dumb question. Of course you have." She laughed. "I just had a lame moment there." Unexpectedly, he laughed.

"Yes, that was an idiotic question. But I'm not some kind of a tailor. I will admit that sewing myself up is one of the few things that I'm not so great at."

_Apparently he thinks he's 'so great' at a lot of other things. He's so full of himself sometimes. I'll bet the only thing he is good at is fighting. What else has he done with his life? _

"Well, I could-" She heard the water switch off, and automatically she handed him the nearby towel when he opened the door.

"What did you come here to talk about, anyway? I already know that you are carrying my son."

"So, you _did _do it on purpose, didn't you?" She let him dry his hair, watching as it looked like he would rub it all off.

"Did what on purpose?" He answered when he was finished. "Produce a son with you? How could I do that on purpose?" He smiled arrogantly.

"I know you must think I'm amazing, but even I can't 'make a child' on cue. I didn't know that we were actually doing it when we-" He paused for a second.

"I mean, I-" Bulma stared at him. Was he really stuttering? He couldn't find the right words. He dropped the towel and didn't bother to pick it up.

"Look, I didn't know, all right? It was only until I was up in space that I realized I could sense it. Faintly. I might have planned it a little-" Bulma stood up.

"What? You wanted a baby? Forgive me if I don't think that you are the fathering type."

"I'm not! I don't know the first thing about being a father!"

"Then why did you say that you planned it?"

"I _didn't _plan this, woman!"

"Yeah, well neither did I! Do you think I want to be impregnated by an alien monster like you?" She hadn't meant to call him a monster.

"So you think I'm a monster, do you? You don't know the half of it, earth woman. Did you come in here just to harass me? Or are you trying to get me to apologize for…" He turned away. "I'm not apologizing for anything."

"Well neither am I. I'll have you know that after you left me, I slept with Yamcha." _There, I said it, and I can't take it back._

"Heh. It must've been quite a let down from what you were used to."

"What? I was _used _to Yamcha. I've been with him, on and off for years! _You're _the one I'm not used to!"

"I don't want anyone to get used to me. Do you think that's why I'm here, to spend time with you?"

"Well, no but… You don't care then? That I slept with Yamcha while I was carrying your child?

"It's not like you could taint him or anything. I don't own you. You make your own choices; it doesn't matter to me." She watched awestruck as he nonchalantly pulled a pair of pants on.

"It's not like I expected you to care anyway."

"That's good. Don't expect anything from me, and we'll get along just fine. I've got things to do." Just as he was heading towards the door, she blocked him.

"Wait, Vegeta."

"What do you want from me now? You already have my child inside of you." For some reason that made her blush.

"Um…Did you do it? I mean, did you turn into a Super Saiyan?" He smiled the cockiest smile she had ever seen.

"Of course I did. Did you doubt my abilities as an elite warrior?"

"No, Vegeta." Her voice was soft, and she moved closer to him.

"I didn't doubt you for a second. I knew you could do it. You've got so much…strength and willpower. I believe in you." As she said this, she lay her hand on his chest.

"Are you seducing me, woman?" She smiled.

"What are you going to do about it?" He just smirked, and to her surprise, laid a strong hand on her belly. She watched his eyes go out of focus as he concentrated on the energy. He grunted with satisfaction.

"He's strong. I'll teach him everything I know. He's going to make a powerful warrior."

"What is this? What, are you bored with yourself, so now you had to come up with another project? Don't I have any say in this? He's my son too, and he's only going to be half Saiyan."

"You can do whatever you want with him. I didn't say you couldn't teach him what you know too. I'm not taking him away from you, Bulma. In fact, when he's small, you can spend all the time you want with him. He'll be of no use to me until he's at least five years old."

"No use to you? How can you say that?! He'll still be your son!"

"Of course he'll still be my son. I'm just saying that I won't have anything to do with him when he's younger."

"You won't have anything to do with him? You'll just…abandon him?!"

"Don't get hysterical. That's not what I meant. I'm just…not good with babies. He has to be grown enough to learn."

"So, you won't even hold him? He won't know who you are, and then when you do want to train with him, he won't want to."

"He'll know who I am. I didn't say I wouldn't be around."

"Well, how am I supposed to know that? You up and leave whenever you want! You just always do what suits you and you don't care-" Suddenly she gasped and clutched her stomach.

"Ugh…I…" Her legs gave out from under her, and Vegeta was quick to catch her before she fell on the hard tiles.

"Aren't you taking care of yourself, woman?"

"Yeah, I have been but…Wait, I think he's kicking me."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean, is that all? It hurts when he kicks. He's really strong. I'm afraid that he'll cave in my insides sometimes. Here, put your hand on me again. You can feel it." After she sat down, he did as she asked. A smile crept on his face.

"He's definitely my son." Pleased, he stood up. Before he left the shower room, he turned to her.

"Don't over-do it. You both need to be healthy." He made eye contact with her, and she read more than he could ever say in his dark eyes. They told her that he wouldn't leave again, at least not for awhile, and that he would watch out for both her and their son. They also told her that she had a chance with him, if she would just be patient and if she didn't expect too much. She just smiled and nodded at him. Then she watched as he strode into the hallway, shaking his head as he went. She thought she heard a few faint words echoing down to her as he kept walking.

"Careless woman. I don't even know why I bother…"

A few minutes later she still sat on a bench in the shower room, not sure whether to cry or to laugh. He had gotten exactly what he had wanted from that conversation. Again. _Well, I won't let him win all of them, _she thought. _He'll see. One of these days I'm going to get him good. And he won't even remember why he started this all up in the first place. He'll just be here, he can't help himself. I know what he really is._ She walked down the hallway with a smile on her face. She didn't know the future, but somehow she didn't care if everything was in the right place. She liked it a little chaotic. She always had. She lived for the mess that life gave her. And she would just keep kicking it back. _Give me your best shot, future. I'm ready for you. _


End file.
